Broken Enigma
by Cryptic Ash
Summary: Broken pieces and shattered bits. It takes patience and time to recollect. Kurama and Hiei. Oneshot.


I can't play Hiei to save my life and I changed my username to a crappier one. _Go me._

And yeah, this is Kurama times Hiei or vice versa, whoever you want to be on top. If you're icky about this then go off and read some hetero, please.

And if this doesn't make any sense it's because it's far too late for my own good.

* * *

He had always had everything.

The darkness of the world that had swept around him... it had been engulfing. Always feeding off pain and the fear of its inhabitants. Even the strong ones. It had never been the light that had shown what that world had been; it had been the dark, course black. Or maybe it was red… the color that stained the demon planes to its deepest core. It had a life of its own, thriving within those shadows that pressed away any other forms of life. In that world a demon either died or they survived. That was the rule of that black, and there were no exceptions.

Maybe that was why he had always had such a penchant for things that shined. Even as a small child he could recall the faint memories of watching the sunlight dance across the flowing water. As he grew older it progressed to coins and various pieces of jewelry and precious gems. It broke past the darkness. It was unique. It was beautiful.

He had always had everything that he had always wanted. As long as he had worked for it. Youko Kurama became a name to fear, especially for those who held the most luxurious items inside of their vaults. He stole what he wanted. It had always been his for the taking and no price had ever been too high. He'd risked his life on more occasions than he had single pieces of hair. He could always remember being greedy. He'd always wanted the things that shined. Maybe he'd selfishly been trying to attain the shine for himself. Something that banished the darkness. He could only speculate, though. More than likely he'd only chased after priceless artifacts because he'd been greedy for the money.

After he'd entered into the human world he'd found, with little surprise, that humans were almost exactly the same as demons. Although they were more reserved in their tactics they could be just as cruel as demons could be, if not more so. They were all dark, filled with the same black that he'd seen all of his life in the lands of Makai.

Even now he could see the darkness. It was easy to spot. One only needed to look down a street and several things could be spotted, whether it is something as small as a piece of trash sitting on the curb. But he was naturally attracted to light or anything that showed the promise of new life.

Kurama had lived a long time. Most likely much longer than anyone should. But always in the farthest reaches of his memories he could remember the darkness and murderous rage of Makai. He had always been so fond of that sunlight that had graced the skies just before dawn. The light, the rain, the signs of spring… they were all things that he loved that Hiei wasn't.

What was it about pieces that made them fit together? There were always various kinds, some of them smaller than others and everyone shaped different. Sometimes Kurama found himself comparing people to things like these. Puzzle pieces. Each had a unique shape with a similar corresponding piece. They fit together. People were like puzzle pieces and some people fit together perfectly due to their similarities. After all, for something to fit together they had to be alike.

But then what about the ones that were broken? Some of the pieces were torn, ripped, shattered or simply broken apart. Cracks that formed in the puzzle piece. These puzzle pieces were sometimes made out of glass and every so often he could find one that had been broken. If something was broken then how could it ever be fixed again? Souls and hearts weren't the same as paper or wood. Once they were broken they couldn't be as easily glued or stapled back together. However, they were similar. Just like paper and wood once a soul absorbed something it was stuck inside of it forever. There was no way to erase the stains of ink against silk white.

Broken, torn, and burned. What happened to the pieces that were more badly mangled than others? If something had been stained or crushed enough to where there was no longer a definable piece to be seen, did it make it incompatible?

Many people would give up. Such work that required the patience of slowly picking up the pieces and trying to carefully tape them back together was tedious and nearly impossible and more than undesirable for most.

It was… interesting, though. Kurama had become closer to Hiei than anyone else ever had, although he was also aware that there was a connection that Mukuro shared with Hiei that was probably stronger than what he had. Regardless Kurama could see the pieces that made up Hiei. And, for some reason, he took care of them as gently as he possibly could.

Possibly pointless. Kurama was patient and treated Hiei with care. What he was dealing with was delicate and if he was careless he might damage it further. He had no wish to transform Hiei into his own needs or wants. There was a longing that the fox was aware of, though. Often when the two were alone Kurama actually found it difficult to restrain himself from doing something out of the ordinary or simply smiling. It was physically painful to be near the fire demon. There was a want to be even closer. To touch. It was an irrational emotion that dug into his inside like claws but there was also an indescribable happiness. And, whether or not Kurama wished it, he found that Hiei was constantly in his thoughts. Even if there was no direct relation a memory would pop into his mind. More than once was Hiei the first thing that he thought about when he woke up in the morning.

Hiei was precious. Kurama had always been attracted to things that had sparkled. Hiei did not. He was another demon of Makai and housed the dragon of the darkness flame itself. He was the opposite of just about everything that the fox had ever grown to love. But still, it was there, and he was aware of it.

It made him treat the pieces of Hiei that he had with care. It was a ridiculous notion, maybe. But even so he stood and patiently worked away to make the small bits and pieces fit back together. They couldn't be perfect, but he did his best to try and fix them.

It was miserable not seeing him. The visits just felt too short, even if they lasted for hours. Hiei caused Kurama to think irrationally and sometimes it was harder than it should have been for him to control his thoughts or try to think of what he should do. That was probably why he'd made the mistake of leaning over and physically coming too close to the fire demon. He paid the price for the trespassing and it burned. He had broken what he had been trying to fix, and it had all been due to his poor self control.

Now, how much time had Kurama spent regretting his actions? Too much, but just as before he found his mind returning to Hiei whether he meant to or not and by the time he realized what he was thinking about he'd already hammered in another nail into himself.

Hiei did not return. There had always been a faint hope in his mind that maybe he would, which was why he kept his window open even when the nights were so cold that it made it hard to sleep. When he finally did show up it had taken him by surprise, something that didn't happen often. And, cautiously, Kurama approached him again. It was stupid, yes, but he wanted to try and fix what he'd broken. He hadn't been pushed away, and as he'd gotten closer he'd felt it again. And for the second time he forgot his self-control.

He hadn't been pushed away this time, though. Well, not completely. Hiei had pushed him away physically and sworn at him profusely but he did not disappear instantly like he had the last time. So Kurama acted again, this time with much more force. He refused to let Hiei run off like he had the first time.

Every piece has its own unique shape. Some are more broken than others. Sometimes people will break themselves. And any way that Kurama looked at it, it still manage to evoke at least the smallest sliver of emotion when he turned the thoughts to a certain fire demon. And what he'd done had been unforgivable. What he did would either break the pieces he'd been holding onto or open up the slightest chance that at least a small bit would be repaired.

What exactly happens when a piece meets another that it's opposite? Most of the time, it's repelled. But in order for something to fit together its key must be what it is not. In order for a space to fill something that spot needs to be empty. Emptiness is the opposite of filled. Therefore, a piece could fit with its opposite, couldn't it?

Even though Hiei didn't reject him, Kurama was still just as careful. If not even more so. He doubted that he could pick all of the pieces up and fix them. Kurama's own piece was broken as well. It was impossible to live such a long life without facing hardships.

Still, maybe that was what made them fit together so well. In order for something to be fixed broken pieces have to come together.

Nothing can be perfectly, it's simply impossible. There are always mistakes to be made.

"Hiei?"

"Hn?"

Kurama opened his eyes, bright green eyes staring up at the sky and then moving to look over at Hiei's face. The demon's eyes were closed and the slow pace of his breathing showed that he was half asleep. Kurama moved, careful not to move the sleeper to much, just to make himself more comfortable. It was true that Hiei wasn't perfect, who could be? There were times when Kurama wanted to choke the man and others when he couldn't keep his hands off of him.

"Kurama…."

"Hm?"

"Go to sleep."

Kurama smiled and looked back down at Hiei to see two very tired crimson eyes looking back at him. "I will soon, I promise."

* * *

Good lord, crappy ending and _I need sleep._

So, without further whatever, I'm leaving now. Enjoy the crappy story if that's uh, possible.

_Cryptic…._


End file.
